Fitch Ratings News

Global Reinsurance Sector Receives ‘Stable’ Market Outlook as Rates Keep Hardening

The outlook of the global reinsurance sector is “stable,” which is mainly a reflection of hardening pricing conditions and tighter terms and conditions, according to AM Best and Fitch Ratings in two reports. AM Best said the market has seen …

P/C Insurers Face Workforce, Risk, Policy Challenges as Pandemic Continues

Given that business-as-usual is unlikely to return soon due to the coronavirus pandemic, U.S. property/casualty insurers will continue to face challenges related to virus-related insurance losses and premium volume declines in 2021, according to Fitch Ratings. The operational and risk …

AIG’s Plan to Divest Life & Retirement Business Could Prompt Ratings Downgrades

American International Group’s plan to downsize by divesting its Life & Retirement (L&R) business is drawing cautious and wary reactions from rating agencies that follow the property/casualty insurance giant. They said that they’re worried about what the divestiture will do …

Workers’ Compensation Should See Profit This Year But Maybe Not in 2021: Fitch

Despite the economic challenges from the coronavirus pandemic, the workers’ compensation insurance market is likely to report strong profitability in 2020 thanks to savings from lower claims frequency due that are currently outpacing pandemic-related losses, according to Fitch Ratings. However, …

What 3Q Catastrophe Losses Mean for U.S. P/C Results

Driven by an elevated frequency of events during the quarter, third quarter natural catastrophe losses for the U.S. property/casualty insurance industry will be the largest since the third quarter of 2017, according to Fitch Ratings. Fitch said the (re)insurers it …

D&O Insurers Under Pressure But Big Enough to Handle Pandemic Claims, Says Fitch

As claims related to the economic fallout from the pandemic emerge in the U.S. directors & officers (D&O) liability insurance segment, insurers can expect the claims to take several years to pay out and underwriting losses to continue over the …

Formation of More ‘Class of 2020’ Reinsurers Unlikely

The Class of 2020 already has a new member, but it’s not a true startup, the chair of the company said recently. Speaking at the KBW Insurance Conference in early September, Sid Sankaran, chair of Third Point Re, was referring …

What to Expect in 2021: Reinsurance Market Moving From ‘Timid’ to ‘Hard’

Speaking at one of the many virtual conferences that took place in early September, Dan Malloy, chief executive officer of Bermuda-based Third Point Reinsurance, offered an anecdotal view of the reinsurance market from a broker he knows. “It isn’t a …

Fitch’s Reinsurance Outlook Remains Negative, Despite Entry into Hard Market Phase

Fitch Ratings said yesterday its ratings outlook for companies in the global reinsurance sector will continue to remain negative as a result of hefty coronavirus claims and low interest rates. The good news for companies, however, is that the market …

Natural Catastrophe Claims Cost Insurers More Than Coronavirus in First Half: Fitch

COVID-19-related claims were not the biggest driver of the North American property/casualty insurance industry’s overall combined ratio during the first six months of 2020. Natural catastrophes cost insurers more, Fitch Ratings concluded in its latest report. Pandemic-related claims increased the …